Guides for Brides Kent Wedding Guide

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2018-19 REAL WEDDING IDEAS & INSPIRATION

WEDDING CAKE

WHAT SIZE IS YOUR CAKE GOING TO BE?

FLOWERS BY SEASON

HELPING YOU CHOOSE YOUR BOUQUET

12 pages of inspiring wedding ideas

FIND YOUR PERFECT

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This beautiful wedding venue offers you charming barns and stunning grounds in the heart of the Kent countryside. Winters Barns is the perfect romantic setting for anyone seeking exclusive use of a secluded wedding venue.

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Click here to find out more

Exclusive hire.

Luxury cottage and salon.

Licensed for ceremonies both inside and outside.

Dedicated venue co-ordinator.

Recommended excellent quality suppliers.

Conveniently located close to the cathedral city of Canterbury.

Winters Barns will provide you with the most attentive service and care.

Tel: 01227 472581 Email: events@winters-barns.co.uk www.winters-barns.co.uk

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Winters Barns Nackington Road

. Canterbury . Kent . CT4 7AY

a note from the

Contents

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04 Find Your Venue 06 The Savvy Bride 2019

W

elcome to our Kent Wedding Guide!

If you’re planning a wedding in this gorgeous county, then we have all the advice and inspiration you’ll need to plan the perfect day. Kent has over 200 licensed venues to choose from, from rustic barns in Canterbury to Victorian mansions in Royal Tunbridge Wells, so if you’re on the hunt for the ideal place to say ‘I do’, take a look at our venue guide on page 4.

Once you have your venue sorted, then we have top tips for all the details you’ll need to create your wedding vision, from flowers to cakes and jewellery. For inspiration, take a look at Alex and Sophia’s glamorous burgundy wedding at London Golf Club on page 8.

08 Real Wedding:

Sophia and Alex

10 Your Perfect

Wedding Dress 12

What Size is Your Wedding Cake Going To Be? Which Metal is Best for Your Wedding Band

13 Wedding Flowers

by Season

Want even more wedding planning advice? You can find more fabulous Kent suppliers at guidesforbrides.co.uk, and check out the pages of our blog for even more beautiful inspiration and handy tips.

Happy planning!

Follow us on

Alison Hargreaves @guidesforbrides

Editor Alison Hargreaves Account Managers John Maddaford Ali Moore Amy Jaremchuk Christine King Denise Huff Elaine Rough Megan Wiffen

Features Jennifer Brooks Isabel Hicks Design Claire Rowland

GfB Kent Wedding Guide 2018-19

Guides for Brides Ltd Larkhill Farm Wantage Oxfordshire OX12 8PJ T 01235 770078 E info@guidesforbrides.co.uk www.guidesforbrides.co.uk © Guides for Brides 2018

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Choosing Your

Dream Venue in Kent

See our favourite wedding venues near you If you’re hitting the road to ‘I do’, with no idea of what kind of wedding venue would suit your tastes, this guide can help!

Here are some of the most popular wedding venue types and who it would be suitable for, and we’ve picked some of our favourites from the local area to help get you started…

Hotel Wedding Venues Hotel wedding venues come with all the mod cons, often boasting luxurious rooms, on-site catering and acres of breathtaking grounds, with expert staff on hand catering to your every whim and desire.

Plenty of hotels offer easily customisable wedding packages to make wedding planning as easy as possible, and your guests can easily retire to their rooms after dancing the night away only to meet you for a delicious breakfast the next morning.

Barn Wedding Venues Barns are a classic choice for an English wedding, as we have so many beautiful barn wedding venues throughout the UK. With their gorgeous rustic feel and wooden interiors, barns are perfect for couples who want something relaxed yet romantic. Enjoy the countryside views, beams strewn with fairy lights and bunting and beautiful photo opportunities, all while enjoying modern heating and sound systems.

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OUR FAVOURITE VENUES IN KENT Country House Wedding Venues For glamorous brides who want to feel like something out of a fairytale, you can’t go wrong with an elegant country house wedding venue. Country houses and stately homes have stunning spaces for both wedding ceremonies and receptions, so if you’ve always dreamed of tying the knot in a picture gallery or orangery before enjoying an evening reception in the ballroom, then a country house may be the ideal wedding venue for you.

Outdoor Wedding Venues When it comes to outdoor wedding venues, the possibilities are endless. Ranging from a botanical garden wedding to a relaxed beach celebration by the sea, if you’re a bride that’s at one with nature, this type of wedding venue is for you. So, swap your wedding shoes for cowboy boots or flip-flops and get hitched in the great outdoors!

Hotel: The Grand, Folkestone View details of this venue

Barn: Winters Barns, Canterbury View details of this venue

Country House: Salomons Estate, Royal Tunbridge Wells View details of this venue

Outdoor: The Ferry House Inn, Isle of Sheppy View details of this venue

Still looking?

Click here for more Kent Wedding Venues

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Savvy

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If you’re feeling on edge about the cost of a wedding, don’t worry, it’s totally normal! Couples can often be too focused on prices and end up compromising on areas of their wedding that they loved at the beginning. Our savvy pointers will help you stay within your budget, keep calm and find ways to incorporate everything you want for your big day.

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How to be a Savvy Bride 2019 Pinterest is a great way to follow trends and gather inspiration for your big day. If you don’t have it already downloading it is an absolute must. It will soon become your best friend. Pinterest allows you to pin your favourite images, build a board and even share your ideas. This is a nice way to involve your mum, bridesmaids and friends in the wedding planning process, plus it’s free!

Click here for Pinterest Being organised is one of the most important elements in order to stay savvy. If you love spreadsheets, you’re going to be in your element! However, if spreadsheets aren’t your thing and you want someone to do the hard work for you, sign up for the free online Guides for Brides Wedding Planner. You can work through a checklist in the lead up, manage your suppliers and quotes, organise a guest list and table plan, all while keeping track of your budget!

Sign up for your FREE Wedding-Planner

It sounds cheeky but everyone does it! Have a sneak peek at other people’s weddings and see what it is you like about them and what worked well for them.

The perfect place to do this is our Real Weddings section, where we feature endless beautiful weddings, oozing inspiration.

’ s weddings e l p o e p r e th O

A personal touch is what makes a wedding your own. Being a DIY bride is no bad thing and can end up saving you hundreds of pounds! Friends and family are often happy to help, so why not organise a night in for you and your nearest and dearest to get creative!

Click here for more great wedding ideas A massive trend this year is couples creating their own wedding website. You can add your engagement story, collect your RSVP’s, share the menu choices and order of the day, all with your guests! You don’t even need to send physical invites but ‘e-versions’ – a great way to save on stationery costs.

GfB Kent Wedding Guide 2018-19

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Wedding Real

A July Wedding at the London Golf Club.

Sophia & Alex Photography Tom Jeavons Photography

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ophia and Alex got engaged on a family holiday to Portugal, on the edge of a stunning lagoon at sunset.

Romantic groom Alex had planned meticulously to make sure he surprised Sophia, and it certainly worked, as she was completely unaware of the plan until he was down on one knee!

As they got engaged in July, the couple chose this as their wedding month, and selected the London Golf Club in Ash, Kent as their venue. To decorate this gorgeous space, Sophia and Josh opted for a neutral and ivory colour scheme with plenty of natural textures and elegant burgundy accents.

They decorated the aisle with beautiful ivory blossom trees on plinths, which were later used in the evening as centrepieces for the tables - an ideal choice for the high ceilings in the London Golf Club’s banqueting suite.

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The wedding cake had different flavours in each tier.

The newlyweds and guests enjoyed an amazing reception in London Golf Club, and the live band The Distractions kept everyone on the dancefloor all night. There was even a conga line! After the wedding, Sophia and Alex jetted off for a two-week honeymoon to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. www.guidesforbrides.co.uk

“Tom has a great eye for what makes a beautiful photo, and the shots in the grounds are some of my favourite from the day. I didn’t think it at the time, but wading through high grass, in 4.5 inch heels, in a heavy wedding dress, in 30° heat, was definitely worth it!”

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Click to see more Real Weddings 9

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ne of the best things about wedding dresses is that they come in all shapes and sizes, so no matter your bridal style, there’s something to suit everyone. Here’s our guide to finding the perfect silhouette for your big day…

Dress by Phil Collins Bridal

Click here for Wedding Dress Suppliers

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It’s a classic for a reason!

Dress by Phil Collins Bridal

If you’re imagining a typical fairytale princess dress, then what you’re thinking of is probably a ballgown! The most voluminous wedding dress silhouette, a classic ballgown is fitted on the bodice, and flares out from the natural waist in a full skirt. This silhouette suits pear-shaped, hourglass and bigger busted brides, as it makes the most of your curves and still gives you a fairytale look; but it can also make apple shapes look wider.

Taller brides will be able to pull off the large skirt, but petite brides may look swamped, so we’d recommend steering clear if you’re under 5’3”!

GfB Kent Wedding Guide 2018-19

Dress by Lyn Ashworth, Daydreamer Collection

Dress by Willowby

The A-line silhouette (so-called because the shape of the skirt looks like a capital A) is flattering on practically every body type, thanks to the fact that it’s fitted up top and flares out from the waist. The wider skirt gives you plenty of room to walk and dance without being too big, and the fitted bodice shows off your waist while skimming over your stomach. If you want something a little more fitted without graduating to a fit and flare, then a modified A-line flares out a little lower, at the hip rather than the waist.

If you love the curve-hugging cut of the mermaid but are worried about it being unforgiving (or difficult to walk in!), then we recommend you try a gorgeous fit and flare gown. The fit and flare is also known as a trumpet silhouette, and is becoming more and more popular with brides thanks to its flattering cut.

Unlike a mermaid wedding dress, the skirt on a fit and flare starts at the mid-thigh, rather than below the knee, which gives you more room to move as well as a more forgiving cut on the thigh and a more understated silhouette.

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What does a Wedding Cake Symbolise?

The wedding cake symbolises good fortune and fertility.

It also brings good luck to everyone who eats it.

The wedding cake should be made with an abundance of good quality ingredients to symbolise a long-lasting, rich, and happy marriage.

The bride cuts the first slice of cake to provide good fortune in the marriage.

Tradition of Saving Your Top Tier Back in the 19th century, couples saved their top tier for the christening of their first child. Today, couples generally wait a little while after their “I do’s”, before having children, so they’ll save the top tier for their first wedding anniversary.

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WHAT SIZE IS YOUR

WEDDING CAKE GOING TO BE? Deciding the size of your wedding cake can depend on the number of guests – using the information below will help avoid any leftovers!

Click to find your nearest cake maker

6”

6”

7”

8”

8” 40 Servings

9” 51 Servings

9” 52 Servings

10” 65 Servings

(26 without top)

(32 without top)

(32 without top)

(40 without top)

7”

6”

8”

8”

9”

9”

10”

10”

11” 78 Servings

12” 78 Servings

12” 78 Servings

6”

79 Servings

(65 without top)

(64 without top)

(64 without top)

(64 without top)

6” 6” 8”

8” 10”

10”

12”

12”

14”

134 Servings

(120 without top)

210 Servings

(196 without top)

Our Top Favourite Cake Flavour Combinations When it comes to the cake, the flavour is just important as the look.

After all, it’s what’s on the inside that counts! Here are some of our favourite flavour combinations...

Vanilla Sponge, Fresh Raspberry Jam & White Chocolate Icing Toffee Sponge & Salted Caramel Icing – Red Velvet Sponge & Cream Cheese Icing Lemon and Elderflower Sponge with Elderflower Buttercream Icing Chocolate Sponge & Baileys Buttercream Icing – Fruitcake, Marzipan & Royal Icing Pink Champagne Sponge with White Chocolate Buttercream GfB Kent Wedding Guide 2018-19

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Wedding Flowers by Season Seasonal wedding flowers are cheaper and easier to source, so we’ve created a helpful guide of what’s in season in the UK! Click here for a wedding florist near you

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er Summ Peonies

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Calla Lillies Tulips Ranunculus Anemones Irises Narcissus Forget-Me-Nots Freesias Gerberas Hyacinth Hydrangea Sweetpeas Lily of the Valley

Autu

Mimosa Alstroemeria Anemone Gladioli Orchids Cosmos Hydrangea Berries Roses Calla Lillies Physalis Chrysanthemum Phlox

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Foxgloves Stocks Dahlias Gypsophila Sunflowers Lavender Carnations Chrysanthemum Roses Lilies Marigolds Zinnias

Wax flowers Amaryllis Poinsettia Hellebores Ivy Holly Anemones Gorse Narcissus Pussy Willow Snowdrops Euphorbia www.guidesforbrides.co.uk

Click here to find out more

Image credit: Her Creative Studio hercreativestudio.com

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